Year
2006
Abstract
Recent efforts by the US and Indian governments to enhance civil nuclear cooperation, including commitments to such enhancement in signed joint statements by the US President and the Indian Prime Minister in July 2005 and March 2006, are intended to increase Indian and US engagement on strengthening mutually beneficial security ties, including allowing India access to international civilian nuclear technologies. The USIndia joint statement of July 2005, which covers enhancing nuclear cooperation, says that India will assume responsibilities and practices that consist, among others, of “identifying and separating civilian and military facilities and programs in a phased manner and filing a declaration regarding its civilian facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).” The subsequent joint statement of March 2006 acknowledges in effect that the civil-military separation plan prepared by India is credible and acceptable to the US Administration. The US Congress is now debating whether to make the necessary changes to US law for enhanced India-US civil nuclear cooperation to occur. The agreement has raised questions in the US, India, and internationally about implementation. A significant question is how India, in the absence of full-scope safeguards, can provide adequate confidence that US peaceful nuclear technology will not be diverted to nuclear weapons purposes. In this paper, the published writings of Indian and US experts are surveyed on this and other related issues. Our review includes official and non-governmental statements that are both for and against enhancing USIndia civil nuclear cooperation.